THE LEARNING ARCHIVES
Whether you're creating maps for a novel, rpg, or just for fun, this collection of tutorials and map tips will help you create more professional and believable maps for your story!
How to Draw Forests - Top Down Perspective
You’re city or village map is just about done, but you need to add some trees to breathe some life into the surrounding landscape. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how you can draw some simple trees that will stand out and really make your fantasy map pop!
How to Draw Stippled Mountains
There are many ways you can draw mountains on a fantasy map, but this method will walk you through how to use a traditional stippling technique which brings a bit of a Victorian aesthetic to your modern fantasy cartography.
How to Draw a City Block
City maps can be a lot of fun to draw, but they come with their own unique set of challenges. It’s one thing to draw individual buildings that are completely isolated from one another; it’s another to draw a city block where everything is more mashed together. In this tutorial I’ll walk you through my process to sketching, inking, and finally coloring a city block so you can add them to your own fantasy maps!
How to Draw Mountains in Top-Down Perspective
One of the most important features on fantasy maps are the mountains. Not only are they prime real estate for dwarves and dragons, but they play an important role by impacting political borders, travel, and even weather patterns.
But, they can be challenging to draw in a top down perspective and still get a good sense of scale and depth. While it is much easier to accomplish this in an Isometric Perspective, there are ways to really make your mountains pop off the page. So let’s start mapping!
How to Draw a Canyon
Canyons are a striking feature of any landscape and can really be a focal point in the story you're telling. In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw canyons that bring a sense of depth to the landscape and make your fantasy map really stand out.
How to Draw Rivers
How do you make your rivers stand out so they’re more than just a squiggly line on your map? In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw rivers that have a sense of depth and look like they are actually part of the landscape.
How to Draw Ridge-line Mountains
Mountains are an important feature of a map as they impact weather patterns, where rivers flow, and ultimately where cities and nations arise. In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw mountains for your fantasy maps using the ridge-line method. If you love fantasy style mountains but want to push them to have a little more realism, then this technique is for you.
How to Draw a Cliff Drop-Off
How do you draw a cliff that is facing away from you on your fantasy map? If you have ever drawn a plateau, canyon, or chasm but wanted it facing away from you, then you know this can be a challenge. In this tutorial I'll share some simple tricks you can use on your maps.
How to Draw a Barrow Icon
You will find barrows and burial mounds throughout the real world as the final resting places of rulers, warriors, or even groups of people. Drawing a barrow on your map gives a sense of realism and implies a more vibrant history of the world you’ve created. In this tutorial, you will learn how to draw a barrow and add a new level of intrigue to your map.
How to Draw a Compass
A compass is probably the most recognizable symbol associated with map making. They are also an opportunity to convey something about the culture of the world you’re creating by incorporating patterns and textures in their design. In this tutorial, you will learn how to easily draw a compass on your fantasy maps.
How to Draw Tombs
Drawing a tomb on your map is a great way to add intrigue and a sense of history to your world. They are a compelling feature that gets your imagination going and asking questions, which is exactly the reaction you want from a viewer. In this tutorial, you will learn how to easily draw a tomb on your maps.
How to Draw Marshes & Wetlands
One of the most iconic locations in The Lord of the Rings has to be The Dead Marshes. Marshes have such an iconic look with their pools and streams weaving between tall grasses over a vast landscape. They can be a place of life and biodiversity or a place of threat and danger like they were in Middle Earth. In this tutorial, I will break down the process I use so you can add some marshy wetlands to your fantasy maps.
How to Draw a Sailboat - Top Down Perspective
Drawing a ship sailing the seas of your fantasy maps is a great way to convey a bit of the culture of your setting. You can also use them to indicate trade routes, and if the city is a major port in the region. In this tutorial, I will walk you through how to draw a simple wooden sailboat you can use on your fantasy city maps.
How to Draw Mountains
Mountains are perhaps the most important natural feature you can draw on a map. They impact weather patterns, where rivers flow, and ultimately where cities and nations arise. But, how do you draw them so they don’t just look like squiggly triangles on your map? In this tutorial, I will walk through one of my favorite methods to draw mountains on your fantasy maps!
How to Shade Oceans & Seas on Your Maps
In this tutorial I want to show you how to give your oceans & seas a little more character. Not only will you get a nice painterly texture, but this method is also a great way to hint at the topography just below the water’s surface.
How to Draw an Isometric Castle
Learning to draw a castle for your maps is a great way to begin telling the story of the world you’re creating. Not only do castles act as a seat of political power for a lord in the region, but they are also an important site of trade and commerce. I have broken down the steps I take when drawing a castle so you can begin drawing them on your maps.
How to Draw a Waterfall
How many of us have hiked for miles just to see a waterfall? Even if you haven’t, it’s not difficult to recognize the beauty and power that so many find compelling. This is why they are such an interesting feature to include on your fantasy maps. In this tutorial, you will learn some simple steps to walk you through how to draw a waterfall on your map for your next rpg or book. Let’s start mapping!
How to Draw Canyons
Drawing canyons on your maps is a great way to make the terrain a little more interesting and add depth to the landscape. At first glance, you might think they are difficult to draw, but with a few simple principles, you can start adding canyons to your own fantasy maps.
How to Draw Classic Fantasy Mountains
Want to learn how to draw a more classic style of mountains on your fantasy maps while still feeling unique? This method of drawing mountains is a great way to give a more classical pen and ink feel to your maps!
How to Draw a Simple Compass
There is probably nothing more iconic in cartography than the compass rose. Not only do they serve to orient the viewer of your map, but they are also an opportunity to get creative and reflect the culture of the world. There are nearly limitless ways to draw a compass, but in this tutorial I want to set a foundation for you to build upon later. You will learn everything you need to draw a simple compass on your fantasy maps, and hopefully it will inspire and give you confidence to take it a step further.